Death toll in Turkey protests rises to 5

A 19-year-old university student who was hurt during anti-government protests that rocked Turkey last month has died from his injuries, bringing the death toll in the unrest to five, local media reported on Wednesday. Ali Ismail Korkmaz, who joined the demos on June 2 in the central Anatolian city of Eskisehir, suffered a brain haemorrhage when unidentified assailants attacked him while he was fleeing from tear gas, the Dogan News Agency reported. The deadly wave of protests presented Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Islamic-rooted government with the most serious challenge to its rule since it came to power more than a decade ago. The unrest flared when police cracked down on a peaceful sit-in against plans to redevelop a central Istanbul park, which then snowballed into nationwide protests that saw some 2.5 million take to the streets. The government's heavy-handed response earned Turkey a strong rebuke from the United States and its Western allies.